Episode 176: Essential Curriculum Development Skills for Educators
Today I’m doing a solo episode! I haven't done a solo podcast episode in a while, but I thought I'd come in and talk to you all about what I'm seeing in the world of curriculum development. I've been working in this field for almost 20 years, which is wild. But I've really seen some shifts and some things that have stayed the same. And so as you think about maybe considering curriculum development as a next career path for you, I want to talk about some of the top skills you need.
Topics Discussed:
Incorporating AI
Curriculum Development is a creative endeavor
The need for adaptability
Resources mentioned:
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Read the transcript for this episode:
Welcome to Educator Forever, where we empower teachers to innovate education. Join us each week to hear stories of teachers expanding their impacts beyond the classroom and explore ways to reimagine teaching and learning.
Today I want to talk about the top curriculum development skills you need to succeed outside the classroom. I haven't done a solo podcast episode in a while, but I thought I'd come in and talk to you all about what I'm seeing in the world of curriculum development. I've been working in this field for almost 20 years, which is wild, maybe more like 15, but I've really seen some shifts and some things that have stayed the same. And so as you think about maybe considering curriculum development as a next career path for you, I want to talk about some of the top skills you need. There has been an increase in using AI for curriculum development. And this is a question I often get asked, and so I would say there are two sides to the story. One is that most educational publishers are not using AI because they can't copyright AI created material, and they want curriculum that they own, that they have full rights to. And so in most curriculum jobs for bigger publishers, you likely will not be able to use AI. On the other side of the spectrum, there are many ed tech companies using AI to create content with varying degrees of success, and what they all need is people who are intentional about the approach to learning that curriculum entails, or that curriculum draws off of we need more than ever, people who can talk about strong educational experiences and back up their opinions and what they talk about with research and so more important than ever, particularly in a world where folks are using AI to create content, we need educators to be guiding, vetting and editing this content, and there is a real influx of roles that ask educators to come in as subject matter experts and work as the curriculum guides for AI created content. And so just know that both sides are out there. If you're like, I do not want to touch AI cool, there are definitely curriculum development opportunities for you. If you're like, I'm interested in working with AI cool, there are definitely curriculum opportunities for you. But what is the same about all curriculum opportunities and why I really lean into teacher created curriculum is the intention we need curriculum that's really using what we know about how humans learn to create impactful learning experiences, and so more important than ever in curriculum development is to be able to talk about how You create curriculum and why you create it that way. So in everything that I'm about to share, I want to keep going back to these questions, how do I create curriculum, and why do I create it that way? We don't want to just create curriculum. To create curriculum. We want to create really impactful, transformative learning experiences. And so doing that with intention. So thinking about curriculum development, first off, just going over, what is it? Curriculum developers create materials that improve student learning and support teachers. Curriculum is also a teaching tool. And so you think about a new teacher using curriculum. They often use it kind of strictly, because they don't have that experience sometimes, unfortunately, they're asked to use it strictly and not given the agency to be able to make adaptations. But that's another part of the story. But I do want you to think about curriculum as supporting teachers and supporting student learning. No curriculum is going to be 100% great in 100% of circumstances with 100% of teachers, curriculum becomes magical in the hands of teachers. So as a curriculum developer, you think about, how do I support teachers with the best starting point and with the skills and knowledge to be able to adapt the curriculum to meet the needs of their students? Curriculum developers can work for educational publishers like textbook companies, they can work for ed tech companies, creating content used digitally or in print. Resources. They can create content for nonprofit organizations or school districts or kids media organizations. There are so many options out there, and curriculum is really anything educational that gets in front of students, teachers, honestly, anyone and curriculum development jobs can be full time, part time, contract. There's a wide variety there as well, but the top skills you need again are going to be the same across the board. So in addition to really the intention that you bring to curriculum development and being able to talk about how and why you create curriculum. There are six skills that you also need. The first is classroom knowledge and content expertise. As a teacher, you know what works. You have a sense of what. Invite students, gets them engaged. You know how long an activity will take, or what common misconceptions might be. You know what strategies you can use to help struggling learners or students who need a challenge. You have so much of this foundational expertise already, and so bringing that to the table really leaning into what have you learned about what works in the classroom and leaning into your content expertise as well. I think systemically and culturally, we often don't see teachers as experts, but teachers are education experts, and so knowing that you have valuable, extensive expertise that you bring to the table, the second skill is creativity. Curriculum Development is a creative field. It's a chance for you to use your creativity to create really impactful learning experiences and to spark curiosity. So when designing curriculum, you get to develop the learning experiences you want to see in the current in the classroom. You get to let go of anything you don't want to see. You know, sometimes when we start creating curriculum, we start recreating the things we've been asked to do without that intention. But that's not what we should do. We use our creativity to create the curriculum we want to see out there in the world, and creativity is really what's going to transform learning standards or objectives into activities that make learning come alive, that are truly engaging. One of the best creative skills you can bring too is the ability to connect curriculum to real world learning to learning that happens outside of school. Learning definitely doesn't happen just inside of school buildings. It happens all the time to all of us, and so really being creative to make those connections, the third skill you'll need to be successful in curriculum development are writing skills. Curriculum developers are writers successful. Curriculum developers write with clarity, use their imagination, and are detail oriented, directions, teacher notes, student materials, all of these need to be written clearly, concisely and be easy to follow. And so you're learning how to write in a way that's different from ways you maybe have written in the past. You're learning how to write in a way that will be published, that other people will read and follow without you there. And so you can think about the words you write as the bridge between what's in your head and what students and teachers will actually do, your writing is only effective if it's easy to understand and ready to use. The fourth skill you need goes back to what I was saying about the how and the why and the intentionality, and that is a knowledge of pedagogy. Pedagogical knowledge, your understanding of learning and teaching guides your decision as a curriculum developer, and it can't be underestimated. Strong curriculums developers not only know their why, but they also know how to translate that into learning experiences for students, you can draw off of research, and you should draw off a research you don't have to reinvent the wheel and establish curriculum frameworks like project based learning, understanding by design, teaching for understanding, universal design for learning. The list goes on and on, and when you apply for curriculum development jobs, you'll also want to be able to really explain your education philosophy and why it works and how it translates into curriculum development. The fifth skill you'll need is adaptability, and this we know as a teacher, right? We adapt all the time. We can plan amazing lessons, and rarely, if ever, do they go exactly as we planned, but we adapt. We're like, this isn't working. Let me get feedback. Let me change it up. Same thing in curriculum development, feedback is an important part of the process, embracing feedback and bringing being open minded is one of the essential curriculum development skills. When you're working on a project, you'll likely get feedback and suggestions from a wide variety of stakeholders, and so embracing feedback and revising your work will sharpen your skills and really make you a better curriculum developer. This is important because it also can be hard getting feedback, particularly about your creative work, and so really, having a growth mindset will help you incorporate that feedback positively.
Lily Jones 9:13
And the last skill that will help you be successful in curriculum development is scaffolding. You understand this as a teacher, you know, a fundamental part of curriculum development is sequencing and scaffolding. You need to be able to take a large concept and figure out how to break it into manageable, specific steps. Curriculum developers ask themselves, what's the very first step students and teachers need to take, and then the next, and then the next? The scaffolding skill makes learning manageable and helps students build deeper understanding. So to recap, in order to be successful as a curriculum developer, you need to really think about the intention behind the materials you create and bring six key skills to the table, your classroom knowledge and content expertise. Science, your creativity, your writing, your pedagogy, your adaptability and your knowledge of scaffolding. And if you're really ready to become a curriculum developer and make that transition, I would love to invite you to join our curriculum development Foundations program. During this five week program, you'll create a curriculum project and a full curriculum portfolio that you're passionate about, you'll be able to create a portfolio that you can use to apply for and land curriculum jobs, and you get one on one support and feedback from an experienced curriculum developer who will work as your curriculum coach throughout this program, we would love to have you join us. You can go to educator forever, comm slash, curriculum development foundations and learn all about the program and wherever you're starting, remember your intention. Remember you're creating curriculum to make an impact on students and teachers and really lean into that.
Transcribed by https://otter.ai